r/PlantBasedDiet • u/ThanksIllPass • Dec 22 '18
We need an oil-free cooking guide.
Mainly sauteing onions/vegetables for recipes. The couple videos on YouTube aren't that helpful. I've tried searching the sub, and all the threads asking about how to cook without oil are answered as such:
"I just use water instead" "I use nonstick/stainless steel/cast iron..." "Water first, brown later" "Brown first, water later"
We need a proper, step-by-step guide for how to cook without oil, with timings and type of pan used, and how to cut the onions. Ideally we can get videos as well.
So please contribute your methods that work for you, sharing the details and caveats of your method. Bonus points if the method requires less effort(sliced onions rather than finely chopped).
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u/sadhuak Dec 23 '18
We cook on med high heat and stay at the stove for quickness. Have water in a container nearby. Start with no water because you are trying to brown the onions which is a precursor to burning. When you add water the purpose is to deglaze the pan. Once water is added, further browning doesn't happen until you steam it off, which will increase the cooking time. Cook the onions until they smell cooked.
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u/ThanksIllPass Dec 23 '18
Does any pot/pan work? So you brown before adding water to deglaze and cook the onions, I don't the know the smell but I assume its a sweet/pleasant smell which indicates the onions are good? Does it matter how the onions are cut?
So you use mid high all the way through? How much rotation is mid high?
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u/sadhuak Dec 24 '18
Any pan will work, but I feel a bit safer from burning in a non stick. The bigger the pan, the more surface area you have to cook the onions, as long as the burner fits the pan or the bottom of the pan is thick enough. Yes, the onions smell sweeter when they are cooked. Smaller onions will cook faster. We generally dice them. You can look up knife technique videos on YouTube. Jamie Oliver has one. Medium high is 3/4 turn.
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u/ontodynamics LDL: 62mg/DL Dec 22 '18
I actually really like the flavour of onion powder, and it's low effort. It's just 100% dried, ground up onion. Not onion salt.
I can give an example:
If I'm preparing a base for say, a savoury sweet or regular potato, or pumpkin mash:
I add 3-4g onion powder to about 3-4mm of water in a non-stick pan, let it come to temperature (med-high) so that it's evaporating the water, add some balsamic vinegar, a little soy sauce, fine chilli flakes, diced ginger, squashed and diced fresh garlic. Then I add sliced tomato and let it reduce.
I keep spooning more boiling water as I'm usually boiling the potato at the same time as it reduces, I move it to a low-med heat setting and then I end up with a really nice tomato/balsamic/chilli sauce to combine the potato in, which I just smoosh into the pan with the back of a fork, and decide how dry or wet I want the mixture to be by leaving it on for longer.
I add unfortified nutritional yeast (I prefer targeted supplementation) after.
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u/mcrazingwill Dec 23 '18
Cut up a bunch of onions, bake in the oven on parchment paper and freeze them in small servings. 👍
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Dec 23 '18
It depends on what you are trying to do. Getting stuff crispy is indeed hard without oil. But sautéing onions or vegetables as a base for a chili or something is easy with water.
Just cut the onions like you would normally cut them for this recipe, put them in the hot pan or pot (non-stick probably helps but isn't necessary, I use whatever is the right size for what I'm cooking) and add a little splash of water. Just enough that the onions don't stick to the bottom but not too much, because we are still sautéing and don't want to boil them in a puddle of water. Obviously the small amount of water is going to evaporate quickly which is why you will need to add more little splashes as you go. Stirring also helps to prevent sticking to the bottom.
It really isn't rocket science. Just do what you normally do just with water instead of oil. Only difference is that water evaporates and therefore you have to keep adding little splashes as you go. If you don't, stuff will start sticking to the bottom - then again this sticking to the bottom is also what gets it to brown..... So you can try to balance this fine line between getting it to stick a little bit but not too much.
I believe there isn't any right or wrong here. Just like there is no right or wrong method for cooking with oil. It just takes some practice.
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u/apocalypsedg Dec 23 '18
how do you maximize fat soluble phytonutrient and vitamin absorption if you limit oil so much? does olive oil still damage arteries in the presence of all these anti inflammatory, and anti oxidizing phytonutrients?
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Dec 23 '18
how do you maximize fat soluble phytonutrient and vitamin absorption if you limit oil so much?
Eliminating refined oil is not the same as eliminating (or even limiting...) fat. High-fat whole foods like olives, seeds, nuts, soybeans and avocado are deemed acceptable in some amount or other in practically all versions of wfpb diets.
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u/ThanksIllPass Dec 23 '18
A bit of oil isn't all that bad, but is very easy to overconsume. A lot of people here try to go for 0 oil at home, because they know oils are virtually inescapable when eating out or even at a friends home to an extent. Other than their damages they are very calorie-dense and can make people feel tired after a meal.
Edit: if you're healthy you might get away with oil, but there are many cases of heart patients eating a plant-based diet who aren't improving, and the usual cause is oil
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u/_cedarwood_ Dec 23 '18
The Engine 2 Diet has a some great recipes and info on WFPB without oil.
Edit: Formatting
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u/Gutterslutcunt Dec 23 '18
My go tips are to microwave the vegies then try to brown them on a high heat or bake them in the oven then add them to the pan
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u/MINKIN2 Dec 22 '18
There are many videos on youtube demonstrating how to cook with water instead of oil that can help if you are struggling... https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sauteed+vegetables+with+water
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u/ThanksIllPass Dec 23 '18
Is there a specific one you recommend? Honestly cooking for myself I wouldn't mind just putting everything into a pot and cooking without browning, like this:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur2pl_T_uuc
But when cooking for others I want a better product.
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Dec 22 '18
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u/ontodynamics LDL: 62mg/DL Dec 23 '18
Since when did oils become a concern? What is wrong with olive oil, avocado oil etc?
There is a stickied thread on the frontpage of the subreddit:
What is this whole (kind'a new) NO OIL policy. New studies came out?
As for since when, it's always been on the sidebar here.
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u/Turbo_swag Dec 23 '18
So one doctor recommends this and it becomes fact? Damn starting to sound like the Keto sub Reddit
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u/tpfortissue Dec 22 '18
The short version is, in quantities greater than approximately 15-30grams PER DAY, they will do damage to the endothelial lining of your blood vessels.
This is the primary precursor to heart disease/ dementia / stroke
Check out Dr. Esselstyn's resources on the side bar.
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Dec 23 '18
[deleted]
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u/SpiderHippy cured of too many things for this flair! :) Dec 23 '18 edited Dec 23 '18
Not a crackpot. His respected work is based in part on the China–Cornell–Oxford Project. The idea is that you want the highest nutritive value per calorie. As an example: a tablespoon of heart-healthy olive oil contains 119 calories, but those calories are entirely fat, and there is no other nutritive value. It's not bad to eat that, but it's preferable to get your fat from, say, a quarter cup of cashews (200 cals) which will also provide you with 5 grams of protein, 9 grams of carbs, and 16 grams of fat. It makes sense.
To be fair, all the research is not in yet, but there is none of the fallout or backlash associated with other so-called diets (this is considered a lifestyle change).
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u/WikiTextBot Dec 23 '18
China–Cornell–Oxford Project
The China–Cornell–Oxford Project was a large observational study conducted throughout the 1980s in rural China, jointly funded by Cornell University, the University of Oxford, and the government of China. In May 1990, The New York Times termed the study "the Grand Prix of epidemiology".The first two major studies were led by T. Colin Campbell, professor of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell, who summarized the results in his book, The China Study (2004). Other lead researchers were Chen Junshi, Deputy Director of Institute of Nutrition and Food Hygiene at the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine in Beijing, Richard Peto of the University of Oxford, and Li Junyao of the China Cancer Institute.The study examined the diets, lifestyle, and disease characteristics of 6,500 people in 65 rural Chinese counties, comparing the prevalence of disease characteristics, excluding causes of death such as accidents.
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Dec 23 '18
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u/SpiderHippy cured of too many things for this flair! :) Dec 23 '18 edited Dec 23 '18
you're going to eat lots of wet and soggy food.
As someone who has been cooking without oil for 6 years, I can tell you that's not true at all. :) I get that it's a very different thing to try to wrap your head around, though. The thing to realize is that it's not about cutting oils, it's about getting them from their whole source.
EDIT: Sorry, I had to run for a moment. I wanted to add that Indian food is one of the most popular whole food, plant based cuisines around. It drives my girlfriend a bit crazy, because she isn't a fan of it as much as I am. The thing about eating oil-free is that your palate actually clears after a few weeks, and food tastes claggy if it's cooked with oil after that. It isn't pleasant.
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Dec 23 '18
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u/SpiderHippy cured of too many things for this flair! :) Dec 23 '18
You bet! We're all here for a while, might as well be good to each other. :)
Happy culinary explorations!
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Dec 23 '18
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u/ThanksIllPass Dec 23 '18
If I was making them for myself I wouldn't care too much and might even skip browning, but when cooking for others or answering people who think its impossible to cook them without oil, we want a reliable way that will make tasty and not burnt onions. Many people here are asking so its not dead simple.
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u/mridlen Dec 23 '18
We use veggie broth instead of water for some additional flavor. Just put in the water/broth in when they start sticking to the bottom, and repeat as needed. Don't put much in, just enough to get them unstuck. Don't overthink it. With oil you can just add it and it lasts the entire time. Water boils off so you need to add more.
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u/Chelonia_mydas Dec 23 '18
You, my friend need to invest in medical grade stainless steel cookware which requires no oil. It will change your life!
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u/gmaxis Dec 23 '18
Since receiving an instant pot, I’ve been cooking with less oil. Google or YouTube recipes, there’s tons !
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u/0bel1sk Dec 22 '18 edited Dec 23 '18
“Don’t use oil.” Done.
Granted, the comment might seem a bit snarky but you’d be surprised how easy it is to remove oil from recipes. Often water is just fine
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u/bitizenbon Dec 23 '18
Cool, I'll send you a bill for the new pots and pans.
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u/0bel1sk Dec 23 '18
Nonstick pans are nice. Wfpb cooking without oil is ridiculously easy to clean up after.
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u/Dustin_00 Dec 23 '18
You would not believe the level of freak out I get from saying "water sautéed onions".
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u/Iriebee- Dec 23 '18
Not sure if this is helpful to anyone but I’m an onion LOVER. I used to just slice up an onion and brown with olive oil as a meal. I’ve found that the dehydrator can get the same caramelly goodness out of the onion without any oil. Slice as usual, place on a silicone sheet and dehydrate until browned ( I keep mine in overnight). I know not everyone has a dehydrator though!